Armed group leaves thousands of travellers stranded on N6

By A. V. M

An armed group has staged an attack on National Road number six being the main entrance into Bamenda.

The incident on the road along Akum village in the night of last Saturday has been described as the most daring move by armed groups that have for almost two years now stage sporadic attacks around the Northwest region.

Unlike previous attacks that have gunshots as the trademark, the heavily armed group added a novelty by using a caterpillar excavator belonging to the construction company Buns to dig a trench cutting the main road thus making the road impassable. 

According to information from the scene, the attack occurred within the early hours of Saturday night as vehicles traveling by night out of Bamenda began moving with respect of the 9pm curfew placed on the region by the regional administration. 

We are told that the victim of the incident was a driver with Mohgamo Travel agency who was shot on the spot. The reasons for the shooting remain unclear but commentary on social media said to be from eyewitnesses say he was shot for speaking in French while asking the armed group members to stop pointing touch lights into his eyes. They say his crime was that he spoke French. Another person being the driver of a Toyota RAV4 is also said to have been killed for unclear reasons. 

The passengers of the said bus and many other buses were ordered out and at least four of Amour Mezam travel agency buses destroyed using the same caterpillar they used in digging the trench. For several hours passengers had to lie on the ground face down in rain as they checked ID cards giving instructions in what became a control check point. Some sources have it that as they checked the ID cards, the Cameroon flag was chopped off from the card. 

After the checking of the over 30 buses transporting thousands and completing the digging of the trench we learned the armed groups ordered the passengers back into their buses singling out those of Amour Mezam for destruction. The occupants of the destroyed buses thus had to jump into any available bus at least for shelter.

“For four hours we were lying on the ground for our safety due to gunshots.” A passenger notes.  

According to some of the passengers, the Military came almost at dawn when the armed group already left. “The Military came late but truly many of us are happy they came late because if they came earlier they would have been an exchange between the camps and we could have been in the cross fire.” 

Vehicles are reported to have moved out of or into Bamenda at about 9am after the trench was covered and road made usable. 

No group has claimed responsibility for the attack.  Recent attacks have been linked to groups advocating for the independence of North West and South West being what they call Republic of Ambazonia.